Wilson recalls flying ‘the Hump’ during WWII

Published 7:00 pm, Saturday, June 19, 2010

Photo: By RICHARD PORTER
Herald Staff Writer

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Photo: By RICHARD PORTER
Herald Staff Writer

Wilson recalls flying ‘the Hump’ during WWII

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When Dr. Michael Graves introduced fellow Rotarian Elton Wilson as the club's program this past Tuesday, he adapted a quote from Wilbur Wright to emphasize the contrast the audience was about to experience.

Soft-spoken Wilson "flew the Hump" in World War II.

"I know of only one bird - the parrot - that talks; and it can't fly very high," Wright had said in 1908 while declining a speaking opportunity.

After sharing that quote, Graves went on to say, "Elton doesn't talk very much. I presume he flies well."

With that introduction from his friend, the veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps nervously took the podium and told the crowd what it was like to fly over the Himalayas to supply the Chinese army in its fight against the Japanese.

In taking the microphone, Wilson simply said, "There was a need for this program."

Talk about an understatement.

On the Web site www.usaaf.net, a section called "Flying the Hump" gives the historic perspective of what Wilson and his comrades did as young men - Wilson was 22 when he took his tour of duty.

According to the site, when the Japanese overran Burma in the spring of 1942, it effectively cut off the Chinese Army under Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek from land-based supply lines.

The site went on to explain that it was critical for the United States' war effort to have the Chinese actively engaging the Japanese and tying up their troops. That would give the U.S. and its allies the opportunity to address the European Theater of the war and work its way through the Pacific at a more deliberate pace.

"But for this grand strategy to work, China had to be supplied," the Web site states.

That became the job of young men such as Wilson, who arrived in India on Dec. 19, 1943.

"That was the hottest time of the year in India," he said as he thought back over the years.

His first flight was a night flight on Dec. 24.

"I didn't think much about this flight. No problem at all, and I thought, ‘This isn't bad.' "

That, however, turned out to be a misconception.

According to the Web site, in April 1942 the 10th Air Force took primary responsibility in resupply operations over the Hump.

For a variety of reasons that ultimately combined to lead to significant inefficiencies, the site explained, it was decided in October of that year to place the operation under the control of the Air Transport Command.

After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1942, Wilson said he "made the decision I was going to get into something," and learned of the Army Air Corps from a friend who had been activated in the National Guard.

Once he got to India and began flying, Wilson was introduced to the realities of flying the Hump - that first flight not withstanding.

The Web site explained that pilots chose their routes over the Himalayas - which tower more than 20,000 feet into the air - to avoid Japanese fighter planes. Those routes ran over jungles as well as the mountains, and while the planes were less vulnerable to fighter attack, the routes stretched the limits of their fuel.

Wilson said the most formidable enemies he faced were bad weather and bad communications.

"By the time I got there, the general had decided there was no such thing as weather so we were flying around the clock," he said to a laugh from the crowd.

Wilson said the pilots guided off of a series of beams from ground sites and could easily lose those in the course of a mission.

The crowd laughed again as he described his reaction to flying through a storm that resulted in the buildup of static electricity on the wings and nose of his aircraft (commonly referred to as St. Elmo's Fire). Wilson said it was quite a surprise to him the first time the static electricity on the nose of his plane discharged with a thunderous clap.

In another understatement, Wilson explained that "the maintenance wasn't too good over there."

He recounted one daytime flight in which he and his crew came in for a landing and didn't realize they had a flat tire until they hit the ground.

"I did manage to keep the wings off the ground," he said.

Wilson said there really were only two things he didn't like to carry as cargo - 30-foot lengths of pipe that could create a real hazard if they weren't tied down well and the plane hit turbulence, and highly volatile fuel. He said if the crew began to smell fumes they would find the leaking drum and "bomb somebody."

Ultimately, the supply missions over the Hump were a success as Wilson and his comrades delivered 44,000 tons of cargo per month by early 1945. Deliveries peaked at 71,000 tons in July of that year, according to the Web site.

Wilson said pilots were required to log 600 hours of flight time before they were eligible to go home.

He met his quota in December 1944 and was hoping to make it home by Christmas, but that didn't work out.

He finished his service testing and ferrying single- and twin-engine planes, including P-51 fighters and ferrying personnel.

Once his time was up, he returned to Plainview, married Ann Whorten in 1946 and became a farmer and businessman.

The couple's son, Paul, lives on the farm where Elton was born on Nov. 21, 1921.

Their three other children are Ted, who lives in Borger; Jan, who lives in Lubbock; and Sue, who lives in Cotton Center.

Wilson started an insurance and real estate company with a partner in 1969, the same year he joined Rotary.

Through the years he has been active in 4-H and served on the board of the Plainview Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of the Hale County Hospital Authority for 10 years and has been an active member of the Masonic Lodge since 1947.

He is a member of First United Methodist Church.

Wilson, who flew 92 missions during World War II, told the crowd, "I managed to make it back every time."

A number of young people were in the audience, and as he wrapped up his comments he spoke specifically to them.

First, he told them that he wouldn't have made it through the war had it not been for "the good Lord."

Second, he gave them a bit of perspective.

"The ones in uniforms weren't the only heros. Some of the real heros were the people who were at home and put all this stuff together."

(Contact Richard Porter at 806-296-1361 or porter@plainviewdailyherald.com. Become his fan on Facebook.)